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The pilot in control of the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 that crash landed at San Francisco International Airport had little experience flying that plane and was landing one for the first time at that airport. Stephen Stock reports. (Published Sunday, Jul 7, 2013)

Updated at 1:17 PM PST on Wednesday, Jul 17, 2013

The pilot in control of the Boeing 777 that crashed at the San Francisco International Airport on Saturday, killing two people and wounding 180, had little experience flying that type of plane and was landing one for the first time at that airport.

Asiana spokeswoman Lee Hyomin said that Lee Gang-guk had nearly 10,000 hours flying other planes but had only 43 hours on the 777, The Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, Asiana Airlines Flight 214's cockpit voice recorder showed the plane attempted to abort its landing just 1.5 seconds before it crashed, a federal official said.

There was no distress call given before the crash, but the recorder indicated that there was a "stick shaker activation" four seconds before the crash, indicating the plane was about to stall, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman said in a Sunday news conference.

Seven seconds before the crash, there was a call by one of the crew members to increase speed. The target speed for an approach is 137 knots, and the speed of Flight 214 was "much lower, and not by a few knots," Hersman said.

Earlier in the day SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said the navigational technology that helps pilots to land in inclement weather was not operational when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed, NBC News reported. The plane crashed in favorable weather, partly cloudy skies and light wind, NTSB officials who spoke with NBC News said.

“This was a visual approach. You do not need instruments to get into the airport,” said Hersman at Sunday's briefing. “They were cleared for a visual approach.”

In spite of the new information, Hersman said that the NTSB's investigation had only completed its preliminary reports. The cause of the crash, Herman said is still unknown.

"Everything is on the table," she said. "It's too early to rule anything out."

Two 16-year-old schoolgirls from eastern China died after after Flight 214 crashed and burst into flames upon landing. San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault told NBC Bay Area one of the bodies was found on the tarmac near where the plane's tail broke off when it slammed into the runway. The other was found about 30 feet away from where the jetliner came to rest after it skidded down the runway -- and the victim may have been run over by a fire truck.

Six people remained in critical condition Sunday at San Francisco General Hospital, one of nine Bay Area hospitals attending to victims of the crash. Of the 53 patients treated at the hospital, 19 remained hospitalized Sunday.

NTSB Releases Second-by-Second Timeline Leading Up to Plane Crash at SFO

Pilots had a total of seven seconds to react to the unfolding disaster around them as Asiana Airlines Flight 214 came in for a landing. Stephen Stock reports. (Published Sunday, Jul 7, 2013)

At least two patients are paralyzed, said SF General's Chief of Surgery, Dr. Mary Margaret Knudson. Other patients are said to be suffering from abdominal injuries, spine fractures and road rash.

"We are used to all these types of injuries," Knudson said. "We just don't usually see them all at once."

"It was surreal," Benjamin Levy, a businessman seated in the Boeing 777 jetliner's 32nd row, told NBC Bay Area. "A lot of people screaming and not really believing what has happening to them. I wasn’t believing it either."

Levy said it seemed the plane had been coming in too low for landing at San Francisco, and the pilot "missed the runway quite completely."

"A number of miracles occurred that saved many lives," Lee said at the Sunday afternoon press conference.

Asiana Airlines President Yoon Young-doo identified the two fatalities Sunday as female teenagers from China, saying they had been sitting at the back of the plane. The South Korean airline's official Weibo microblog later said both girls, Ye Mengtuan and Wang Linjia, were 16-year-old students at Jiangshan Middle School in Zhejiang province, which borders Shanghai.

2 Chinese Teens ID'd in SFO Plane Crash, Black Boxes Recovered

NTSB officials told NBC News they have recovered both black boxes from Saturday's ill-fated flight from South Korea's capital. The NTSB lab will analyze the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to determine what went wrong. (Published Sunday, Jul 7, 2013)

Speaking at a news conference in Seoul, Young-doo said that he did not believe the flight suffered an engine defect. He described the four pilots aboard the plane at the time of the crash as "skilled," the AP reported. Three of the pilots had each logged more than 10,000 hours of flight time, he said.

Still, Young-doo bowed and said that he was "extending my deep apology" to passengers, their families and South Koreans.

The two students killed were part of a group of Chinese passengers aboard Flight 214 headed to a summer school program in the Los Angeles area.

The 35 students in the group were scheduled to arrive at West Valley Christian School in West Hills for three weeks, according to the school’s website.

Some Hotel Room Rates Soar Following SFO Plane Crash

Hotels around SFO were flooded with passengers whose flights were delayed or cancelled because of the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214. Our Investigative Unit found some appear to be charging a lot more because of the crash. Jenna Susko reports. (Published Saturday, Jul 6, 2013)

They were going to be hosted by families in the San Fernando Valley.

“We are unsure what their next steps will be," the website said, "but we are certain that God knows and will help us care for them in this time of crisis."

SFO officials said a total of 307 people were on board Flight 214: 291 passengers and 16 crew members. Asiana Airlines said the passengers included 77 Koreans, 141 "of Chinese descent," 61 U.S. citizens, three from India, one Japanese, one from Vietnam, and seven of unknown origin.

Timeline of Events Surrounding SFO Plane Crash

Two people were killed and 182 were hospitalized after Asiana Airlines Flight 214 from Seoul, South Korea, crashed and burst into flames at San Francisco International Airport. Stephen Stock reports. (Published Friday, Dec 13, 2013)

Flights in and out of SFO were suspended for about four hours after the crash, the first fatal accident at the airport in 75 years.

Saturday's crash was also the second major accident involving a Boeing 777 in the 18 years the model has been in service, according to the AP. That earlier accident occurred Jan. 17, 2008, when British Airways Flight 28 from China landed about 1,000 feet short of the runway at London's Heathrow Airport. The impact broke the jet's landing gear and caused 47 injuries.

2 Dead in SFO Plane Crash

Two people were killed and 182 were hospitalized after Asiana Airlines Flight 214 from Seoul, South Korea, crashed while landing. Refresh this page at 10 p.m. PT to watch a special edition of NBC Bay Area News. (Published Saturday, Jul 6, 2013)